eBay customers -- FRAUD email going around... beware.

[sepdet]

Urgh. I just got a very sneaky "spoof" email today that appeared to be from ebay, but it isn't. Take a look at this, and if you got one like it, DO NOT trust it.


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From: JohnValepoorer@department-ebay.com
Subject: ATTENTION: eBay Account Expired - Update Now.
Date: March 5, 2005 8:39:22 AM PST
To: [long list of email addresses]
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Dear eBay member, wallowed Heliopolis decipher extort diverge

Technical services are being carried out on a planned software upgrade. packed mutates Alabama tents toppling
We earnestly ask you to visit the following link to start the procedure reprove Monty unrolling normal boldness
of confirmation of your personal data. Josephus steepest puppy abaft remodeling
follow this link to update account information. crows Ashland keeps groupings provoked

However, failure to update your billing information record erring Algerian slanted groom sponsored
will result in account termination. hostesses Moser initiates assassin Haines

We present our apologies and thank you for your cooperation. scorers fiendish surname Mensch paging


***EBay Billing Departemnt team. halfway attuning reassigned Ingram Selectric interlaces scriptures tasters dreading baffle

=============




The white gibberish (if you can't see it, highlight the message) was invisible in the original email; it only showed up when i highlighted the message to copy it.


I disabled the link above so no one would click it by accident. The link is to this web site:
http://activate-ebay.com/
It looks like ebay's website, but it is NOT. I checked ebay's help pages and they said that every ebay web page MUST have .ebay.com. That is, there has to be a dot right in front of the word "ebay". So this is someone else faking their website, very convincingly.

You can tell because it's asking for credit card information and yet the website doesn't have an "https" in front of it showing it's secure. The page claims it's secure, but it isn't secure.

Ebay's customer support page also says that if one gets an email warning that one's account is about to be terminated and/or they urgently need information for some reason, it's not legitimate-- report it at once.

I've reported this fraudulent email to ebay of course, and I'm sure they will take steps to nail these people.

I wanted to spread a warning about this puppy because it's such a typical example of identity theft, and it shows just how sneaky identity thieves can be. If I hadn't noticed the "http:" was missing the "https" I might have fallen for it myself, and someone would now have my credit card number and personal information, as easily as that. Be careful. Do NOT give out credit card or personal information, even if something looks legitimate, unless you've double and triple-checked it.

(and yes, I also see that "Department" is mispelled on the third reading, but I am mildly dyslexic, so it takes me some time to catch mistakes like that)

(this has been a public service message from Avoidance Backwards "R" Us, Inc, who cannot fix the things she wants to fix and is therefore attacking more trivial problems with ferocity)

Comments

[xiaolang.livejournal.com]

Holy shit. I am SO glad you mentioned that. My mom was telling me she got these emails about needing to update account information and stuff on some website. She doesn't remember any passwords though, and therefore asked me to go do it. But I've been putting it off.

A good thing I did, because otherwise things could have gotten really bad. >_< Damn, shit like this. Preys on unsuspecting people who don't understand English very well, like my folks. Grr!